


The moon is beautiful

by kuron_10



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Poems, detective Rizavi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-29 03:14:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19821382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuron_10/pseuds/kuron_10
Summary: Rizavi finds a love poem and is set on finding out who wrote it.





	The moon is beautiful

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a wonderful friend - they know who they are. Thanks for always being there for me.
> 
> Said so before, but will say it again. 
> 
> Don't like, don't read.
> 
> Stay away from your NOTP.  
> It's very easy. And you do not end up making a fool of yourself. 
> 
> It's a Shiro x Curtis story, so if you do not like the pairing, close the tab now to save you the anger and the hatred. Time is too precious to focus on hate.

_The moon is beautiful_

_I go out to the sea again_  
_The moonshine fills my hair_  
_The dreams hang in the air_  
_Stars in the sky and in my blue eyes_  
_You know it feels unfair_  
_There's magic everywhere_  
_But look at me standing_  
_Here on my own again_  
_Up straight in the moonshine_

“I still say it is a hidden message”, Nadia says as she slams her hand on the tiny written piece of paper in front of her, “Who even uses paper and ink these days?”  
“Poets”, James answered before turning his eyes to his soup, “Artists. Someone, who has to write a lot?”  
“Still!” Nadia insisted. “I say there is a hidden message within these lines!”

“Now, now”, Shiro laughed as he sat down at the table with the MFEs, “Such a lively conversation here at the cafeteria. You surely do not mind me joining in?”  
“Such a rare occasion to have you at our table, sir”, Ryan said and smiled at him, “Might lift the spirits and also change the topic.”  
“I would still advise you against spending your lunch break here, sir”, James sighed, “Rizavi is going nuts again.”  
“I am so not!”

She pushed the small piece of paper across the table to Shiro, “Look at this! I found it in the hall.”  
“The moon is beautiful”, Shiro read out loud, “A poem?”  
“Isn’t this mysterious?” Nadia sighed deeply. “Who would have thought we have such a romantic poet on board the Atlas.”

“Hmm”, Shiro said and repeated the first line, “The moon is beautiful…”  
“Commander, do not stand there like being struck by a lightning!” Nadia said as Curtis froze behind Shiro. “Sit down and help us solve the riddle!”  
“Which riddle?” 

Shiro still frowned while he handed him the piece of paper, “Rizavi found a poem and now she thinks it’s a mystery.”  
Curtis stared at the tiny piece, before finally accepting it. “Where did you find it?”

“In the hall between the library and the gym”, she said, “It seems like someone accidentally dropped it. It was upside down and against the wall. I just noticed it, because I dropped my hair tie while I ran to the gym. Either it has been there forever, or…”  
“The hall gets cleaned daily”, Shiro said, “It would have been found.”  
“Maybe it was dropped when we had that emergency yesterday”, Curtis said, “The crew was already enjoying the end of the workday after all when we came in range of the supernova, and everyone had to rush back to their stations.”

“Good point”, Nadia nodded, “So it was probably written shortly before.”  
“What are you going to do?” James asked. “Search for ink stains on fingers?”  
“Hmm… but it might be a clue though”, she said, “We need to figure out who still uses ink. Or get a sample of everyone’s handwriting.”

Curtis carefully handed the poem back to her.  
“Maybe the person who wrote it doesn’t want to be found out though”, Curtis said, “Maybe you should just drop it.”  
Nadia grinned, “Well, maybe. But I want to know who it was!”  
“Why?” Shiro also wondered, “It seems to be a private poem. Why not let the person enjoy it, who has written it. And the person for whom it was written.”

“Do not mind her”, James said, “She is just bored because we had no exciting flight manoeuvres lately.”  
“I can change that”, Shiro laughed.  
“This has nothing to do with each other”, Nadia claimed, but leaned across the table, “Hoooowever, my most favourite captain I would love to hear about those manoeuvres you have planned.”

Shiro laughed, “I’ll let you know.”

“Awesome!” Nadia leaned back, “Though I have to admit, you also made a good point about the poem, sir. Who wrote it… but even more important is, who was it written for?”

“It doesn’t seem to be about a person though”, Curtis said. 

“Commander, let me guess. You suck at interpretations, correct?” Nadia said while slapping Ryan’s wrist, “Stop kicking me under the table, I know it’s you.”  
“No, it was me”, James sighed, “Stop to disrespect our supervisors. Commander, please do not mind her.”

Curtis just smiled softly, “It’s okay, we are just exchanging opinions, aren’t we? I think it doesn’t have to be about a person. I mean the storyteller seems to admire the moon, don’t they? Maybe it’s just that? Admiring the moon, who is so far away from them, but is so beautiful. Admiring from afar.”

“A sad poem!” Nadia exclaimed, “Now, this is gold! We have a tragic love story on board and probably no one knows it.”  
“Maybe it’s just you who doesn’t know it”, Ina muttered.  
“You were silent during the whole lunch break and now you betray me?” Nadia asked.  
Ina shook her head, “Just pointing it out. Maybe it’s unrequited love. So it wouldn’t be known among the crew, would it? The person would keep it to themselves, because they are probably hurt. That’s why the atmosphere of the poem seems to be sad, even though it contains positive words like magic, dreams, stars and moonshine. But in the end the person is alone.”

“Yeah”, Curtis sighed.  
“Hmm?” Shiro turned to him, “You think so as well?”  
Surprised having said that out loud, Curtis quickly smiled at him, “Yes. I think Leifsdottir’s interpretation sounds very spot on. That’s why I said before it might be better to just drop it.”

Shiro nodded slowly.

“But maybe we can turn this into a love story!” Nadia said and was even more fired up now. “Let’s find the owner of the broken heart and help them heal!”  
She jumped from her chair.  
James sighed while getting up, “Sir, the sooner the flight manoeuvre is available, the better for us all.”

Shiro laughed, “I noticed that, yes. Curtis, can you take care of this today?”  
“Of course.”  
“Please”, James said, “Long and difficult.”  
“I’ll see what I can do”, Curtis said, giving his best to smile at the MFE pilots, who left the table. 

“Now look at this”, Shiro said laughingly, reaching across the table, “She was so pumped up about the poem, but she forgot it.”  
Shiro carefully took it in his hand, “Do you want it?”

Curtis hesitated, before shaking his head so softly. “No. I think it would be best if you kept it.”  
“Are you sure?”  
Curtis got up from his chair, “Yes. Also Rizavi might notice that she lost it and might claim it again anyway.”

“Mmh”, Shiro carefully held it close when he watched Curtis leave. “You did not finish your sandwich.”

“I’m actually not that hungry”, Curtis said and it didn’t even seem to be a lie, “Also I think it’s better if I keep working on that flight manoeuvre right away. They all seem rather restless after all.”  
“Yeah”, Shiro muttered as he was left alone with the poem.

-

It was late in the night when Shiro stepped into the observation deck. It was empty, safe for one single person, who sat close to the window that showed nothing but the darkness of the space.

“Here you are”, Shiro said, “You know, I missed you on the bridge.”  
Curtis quickly turned his head, “Captain! I was working on the manoeuvre with the engineers all afternoon long, I didn’t know…”  
Shiro shook his head, “No no, I mean… I knew that. But it felt kind of weird without you on the bridge, that’s what I wanted to say.”

Curtis softly smiled at him.

“During lunch break you left so quickly, so I couldn’t ask you. But I was wondering, you are taking Japanese classes, aren’t you?” Shiro asked.

Curtis’ eyes widened. 

“I am not stalking you”, Shiro said, “But lieutenant McPhee told me she was studying with you and asked me if I could help her with some exercises, because you were both struggling with some grammar questions.”  
Curtis shrugged, “Then there is no denying it, I suppose. And it also explains why she knew the answers yesterday. Yes. I am studying Japanese.”

“The moon is beautiful”, Shiro said, walking up to the large glass window that separated the room from space, “Do you know how it is said in Japanese?”

“月が綺麗ですね”, Curtis whispered. He knew he was defeated.  
“月が綺麗ですね”, Shiro repeated, “I suppose you also know that there is a secret meaning to it?”

He turned to Curtis and smiled at him so softly. 

“I love you”, Curtis whispered. 

When Shiro did not look away, Curtis turned his eyes down to the floor.  
“You knew immediately that I was the author?”

“Mmh”, Shiro came closer and sat down next to him, “I had an idea when I read the title. It’s a sad poem though.”  
“It’s not sad”, Curtis said.

“It’s a love poem, but the person is alone”, Shiro said, “It’s sad.”  
“No”, Curtis shook his head, “The person knew that this love would be one-sided right from the start.”  
“How so?”

Curtis smiled, “When you fall in love with the moon, you do not expect the moon to fall in love with you, do you? Some things are meant to be loved, but you do not expect anything in return. You do not expect a sunset to admire you. You do not expect the moon to love you back.”

“That’s sad, Curtis”, Shiro muttered, “Wouldn’t it mean that the moon ends up being adored and loved, but is not able to give any love back? Why don’t you think that the moon could give some love? Why do you think this love is one-sided?”  
Curtis got up from his seat, “Because I am a normal human being. I am not worthy of the moon. I am fine with the way it is now… just being able to watch him. Not all love stories are meant to end with mutual love, are they? But they are beautiful either way. Japanese literature taught me this.”  
“It did? I should read them one day”, Shiro said, smiling.  
“You should”, Curtis gave him a reassuring smile, “They are very beautiful.”

"Are they", Shiro muttered as he watched Curtis leave. His gaze went back to the darkness of the space. In the distant some stars were shining faintly. 

-

“This is so crazy!” Nadia sang as she flipped down on the chair across the table.

“You are cheerful in the morning? That’s new”, Curtis said laughing, “You saw the plan for your flights?”  
“Eh?” Nadia waved with her hand, “Oh this. Yes. Thanks for all your hard work. But nope, nope, nope!! Totally wrong!”

She slammed her hand on the table, “This morning I woke up and look what was left in front of my room.”

Curtis reached for the small paper, “Another poem?”  
“Yes!”  
He frowned, “It’s a different handwriting though.”  
“Yes!” Nadia said, “And now read it!”

_Twinkle little blue double star._  
_How I wonder what you are,_  
_Up above the world so high,_  
_Mizar and Alcor in the sky._

“It is a hint”, Nadia shouted excitedly, “Like, it’s of course Twinkle twinkle little star, but why was it changed?! What are Mizar and Alcor?”

“Mizar is…”, Curtis felt his hands shaking, “It’s a double star together with Alcor in the constellation of Ursa Major. They are the best known double star system, because they even can be seen with the naked eye.”

“Haaa, if only I could read the title of the poem, but it’s Chinese?” Nadia whined.

“It’s actually Japanese”, Curtis said, his voice still shaking, “It says 青い星がもっと綺麗ですね.”  
“And what does that mean?”  
Curtis hesitated, “The blue stars are even more beautiful.”

“So the answer to the first poem about the moon is a poem about two blue stars?” Shiro asked, before sitting down next to Curtis, “Isn’t this interesting?”  
“Oh, you mean…” Nadia grabbed the sheet of paper again, “Yes! The title totally gives it away! The first poem was called ‘The moon is beautiful’, but this one is called ‘The blue stars are even more beautiful’! It is not unrequited love after all!”

“Hmm, seems so to me”, Shiro said, “But I am no expert.” Curtis still stared at the poem, not taking part in the conversation.

“Also, it is pretty obvious that it was written by someone else”, Ina said, “The style of the poem is kind of a beginner.”

“Give the guy a rest”, Shiro muttered, “I could imagine he stayed up half of the night to search for a fitting poem.”  
“He didn’t, did he?” Curtis asked finally averting his eyes from the poem in Nadia’s hands.

“Let’s just say… chances are high he did”, Shiro laughed, “So the poor guy probably has no idea about poems, but wanted to answer the first one. Sounds logic, doesn’t it?”

“Definitely”, James said, clearing his throat.

“You are absolutely right!” Nadia sang, “This is so exciting! Now we only need to find out who it could be! We have a secret couple on board!”

“Yes, who could it be?” James said, “Who could be the moon and who could be the blue double star.” Ryan let out a deep sigh. 

“I know the poem is not the best”, Shiro softly said, “But… I think that the person writing it gave it all he could.”  
“I think it is the most beautiful poem I’ve ever read”, Curtis answered, “And probably the first one about a double star system.”

Shiro laughed as well, “Yes, but it’s a shame. Double star systems are so beautiful. It’s a pity so many people ignore them. They are fascinating.”  
“But hard to be seen at night”, Curtis said, “I mean the moon shines so brightly, why would anyone look away from the moon to look at two tiny stars?”  
“Hmm, maybe because they are just too fascinated with what is right in front of their nose, so they are blind to all the other beauties in the sky”, Shiro agreed, “But ignore the people, who are too blind to see. The moon sees the double star system clearly. Every night. And this is important, isn’t it?”  
Curtis nodded slowly, “More important than anything else, yes.”

Shiro looked relieved, "So I guess... the moon's voice was being heard?"

Curtis took a deep breath before whispering, "月が綺麗ですね."  
As Shiro smiled, he softly answered in Japanese, "青い星がもっと綺麗ですね."

“Woah, you two are really into that stuff, aren’t you”, Nadia said while chewing on her cereals, "I am sure you can help me solve the riddle after all!"  
James and Ryan groaned in unison.

**Author's Note:**

> Yep, I can't write poems and so I simply changed some pre-existing ones. The first one is based on the first lines of "Wonderful life" by Black, and I do not need to explain the second one I think XD
> 
> Additional notes on the Japanese being used:  
> 月が綺麗ですね = tsuki ga kirei desu ne  
> 青い星がもっと綺麗ですね = aoi hoshi ga motto kirei desu ne
> 
> "The moon is beautiful" has the secret meaning "I love you" in Japanese. Actually quite interesting if you are interested in Japanese culture and how it changed over the years; there are lots of explanations online.


End file.
